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Scientists are working on a synthetic biofuel that could be used in place of diesel and jet fuel. Scientists made the fuel by creating a new microbe from E. coli and genes from blue green algae and camphor trees. "We can now make biofuels that function exactly like fossil fuels and require absolutely no modifications to existing engine technology," said synthetic biologist John Love of the University of Exeter in the U.K.

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Boeing is betting on biofuels in airplanes, experimenting with "green diesel" that could emit about half the carbon that regular jet fuel does. Boeing is also seeking to establish alternate biofuel supply chains focusing on desert shrubs and other feedstocks.

Incitor has secured $1.5 million in new financing to develop a demonstration facility for its biomass-based biofuel production technology. Incitor says its low-temperature process can convert biomass from waste into renewable chemicals and a next-generation biofuel product called Alestron.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California is researching the possibility of using tobacco for biofuel. "We want to bypass downstream processes like fermentation and produce fuels directly in the crop," said biochemist Christer Jansson. "After the biomass is crushed, we could extract the hydrocarbon molecules and crack them into shorter molecules, creating gasoline, diesel or jet fuel."

BP has invested in biofuel startup firm CoolPlanet BioFuels, which is developing biomass fuels. Its technology converts nonfood biomass into a replacement for gasoline and diesel. BP has also invested in other biofuel companies, including Verdezyne and Synthetic Genomics.

Synthetic biologists plan to sign a code of conduct today at the Synthetic Biology 2.0 conference governing their work, to be enforced by self-policing. But a coalition of critics says outside policing is needed to govern the emerging field.